Women challenge globalisation and the erosion of food security

Statement of the 3rd Women's Conference against APEC

Getting to Know Malaysian Workers: Delegates visit automobile plant in Klang Valley

Special Branch Goes on Gate Crashing Spree

Film Festival Kicks Off

Is Globalization Compatible With Human Rights?: Delegates differ in opinion...

Forest Activists Plan Global Action

Genetic Engineering Erodes Food Security, Enslaves Farmers

Workers of the World

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APPA Says "No" to US Military Presence

Squatter Visit Disrupted by Police Intimidation

Sentul, Wednesday: APPA participants who travelled to Chubadak Village, Sentul, to visit a squatter settlement were confronted by police today.

The 50 delegates, comprising mainly community leaders and advocates of housing rights, arrived just after 9am to register for the forum on urban poor at the village's community hall when two police cars appeared. A chief inspector with a name tag "Ali" approached the organisers demanding to know what the meeting was about.

Forum co-ordinator Rahim Ishak explained that the forum was being held in conjunction with APPA to discuss globalisation and its impact on the people. He also explained that it was a "closed door" meeting and that delegates were there by invitation only.

By this time, Chief Inspector "Ali" started looking impatient and, acting arrogantly, tried to grab the registration list from an APPA volunteer. The volunteer managed to pull the list away from "Ali" who then threatened to arrest the volunteers if they did that to him again. He then called his superior "Fawzy" who arrived an hour later. The forum was allowed to go on so long as there were no plans to have any outdoor activities.

The police remained until 4pm when the deputy OCPD by the name of Haji Jaafar arrived and questioned Rahim on the objectives of the forum. Rahim once again explained that it was within the ambits of the law. Haji Jafaar informed Rahim that the police were acting on a complain by villagers that there might be trouble. The police left at 5.30pm when the delegates left, but had managed to delay the forum's proceedings and prevent the delegation from visiting a squatter community in order to understand the issues better.

In a press release later, the APPA Organising Committee protested strongly against the unwarranted police harrassment and demanded an explanation for the stationing of a policeman outside the hall when the participants were merely exercising their right to assemble peacefully at a closed-door meeting.

"This form of harassment was completely unnecessary and unwarranted. The meeting was by special invitation only. We deplore this act as it is tantamount to instilling fear among the people," said Cynthia Gabriel, APPA co-ordinator.

Is Globalization Compatible With Human Rights?: Delegates differ in opinion ...

Federal Hotel, Wed: After an uneventful start, the Human Rights Forum burst into life in the afternoon session "Human Rights and Globalisation - Are They Compatible?"

John Kellock (Amnesty International) argued that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provides the blocks upon which the globalisation process should be built, and which guarantee the right of individuals and organisations to participate freely in the process of globalisation.

"The task we face is to make globalisation work for us all, to make it a rights based process which benefits us all, that brings us together not further apart, that respects all our differences yet affirms what is common to us all," he said in his paper. "I would like to say that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and globalisation are not only compatible but mutually re-inforcing."

Other participants disagreed. Ross Daniels (Queensland University of Technology, Australia) said that "globalisation is incompatible with human rights because it is reinforcing and deepening relative power and inequities." Debbie Stothard (Altsean-Burma) felt the title of the discussion itself was a red herring. "The global movement for human rights is not necessarily part of the globalisation process. The fight for human rights is an on-going one regardless of the era it is in," she added.

In a fiery presentation, Ross accused multinational or transnational corporations (TNCs) of being the main force behind globalisation over the last couple of decades. "In light of the comparative power shift from states to TNCs, it is imperative that the human rights movement focus its attention on non-state actors," he said, labelling TNCs "devils". The forum continues tomorrow.